The former Blue Anchor Line steamship the s.s. Geelong was sold to the P&O Company along with three other ships in 1910 when the Lund Company went into liquidation after the tragic loss of their flagship the s.s. Waratah off the South African coast in 1909. At the outbreak of World war one, the Geelong was taken over by the Australian Commonwealth Government as a troop transport carrier and was known as the H.M.A.T Geelong and assigned the carrier number A2. On the 1st of January 1916 at 7.15 pm the Geelong was rammed in the dark by the s.s. Bonvilston 2,866 Grt. According to the crew of the Geelong the ship was proceeding in the Mediterranean Sea bound for London with a general cargo which included tea but the bulk of the cargo consisted mainly of lead for the war effort. The weather at the time was calm and at 7.15pm it was very dark, the Geelong was steaming without lights so as to avoid submarine detection on the surface. The lookout failed to see the ship the s.s. Bonvilston which loomed up out of the darkness at full speed striking the Geelong amidships at a 90 degree angle. Such was the force of the impact that the Geelong heeled over and was rendered in a sinking position with a gaping hole in her port side. The Bonvilston went astern and stood off some distance away checking her own damage. The wireless operator on the Geelong immediately transmitted the S.O.S signal "we have been torpedoed". The wireless operator corrected this message once it was realised they had been hit by a ship and requested assistance. The watertight doors down below had been closed up well before the collision and helped her to stay afloat until she sank about one hour later.
All six lifeboats aboard the Geelong were kept swung out and at the ready in case of a submarine attack, these were launched at once with all the crew making it into the boats safely some still in their night attire. The lifeboats began to fill up with water at once owing to the fact that the timbers had dried out and the water came in rapidly through the seams causing the crews to bail the boats out in a furious manner. The Bonvilston with her bows badly crushed bent and twisted was found not be in any danger of sinking due to the fact her collision bulkhead saved her. The crew of the Bonvilston eventually assisted the Geelong crew in getting aboard she then made her way to her destination, the port of Alexandria where she arrived the next day. From Alexandria the Geelong crew made their way to Port Said where they split up with the British part of the crew leaving for London and the Australian members of the crew returning to Australia on the P&O liner s.s. Medina. There were 16 Australian crew members on the Geelong, 9 from Adelaide, 5 from Melbourne and 2 from Sydney all arriving safely home. The Bonvilston was on a voyage from Suvla Bay to Alexandria and had taken part in the evacuation of soldiers from Gallipoli and carrying supplies. The Bonvilston was built in 1893 for Thomas Radcliffe & Company of Cardiff and was launched as the Anthony Radcliffe. In 1908 she was sold to Douglas Hill Steamship Company and renamed the Bonvilston. She was later torpedoed on the 17th of October 1918 by the submarine U92.
A claim was made by the Commonwealth for damages and was heard by a Mr. Justice Bailhache's who found in favour of the Commonwealth by judging it to be a marine peril. This was appealed and in the appeal Court the Master of the Rolls delivered a judgment which held that the Bonvilston which collided with the Commonwealth liner Geelong in January1916, was engaged in a warlike operation in connection with the evacuation of Gallipoli. Therefore, the sinking was owing to a war risk, not a marine risk. Justices Warrington and Scrutton concurred in the judgment. The appeal against Mr. Justice Bailhache's decision was dimissed.
s.s. Bonvilston which sank the s.s. Geelong .
s.s. Geelong.
s.s Geelong leaving Hobart Australia with troops for Egypt.
s.s. Medina P&O ship which brought Geelong's crew back to Australia.
All six lifeboats aboard the Geelong were kept swung out and at the ready in case of a submarine attack, these were launched at once with all the crew making it into the boats safely some still in their night attire. The lifeboats began to fill up with water at once owing to the fact that the timbers had dried out and the water came in rapidly through the seams causing the crews to bail the boats out in a furious manner. The Bonvilston with her bows badly crushed bent and twisted was found not be in any danger of sinking due to the fact her collision bulkhead saved her. The crew of the Bonvilston eventually assisted the Geelong crew in getting aboard she then made her way to her destination, the port of Alexandria where she arrived the next day. From Alexandria the Geelong crew made their way to Port Said where they split up with the British part of the crew leaving for London and the Australian members of the crew returning to Australia on the P&O liner s.s. Medina. There were 16 Australian crew members on the Geelong, 9 from Adelaide, 5 from Melbourne and 2 from Sydney all arriving safely home. The Bonvilston was on a voyage from Suvla Bay to Alexandria and had taken part in the evacuation of soldiers from Gallipoli and carrying supplies. The Bonvilston was built in 1893 for Thomas Radcliffe & Company of Cardiff and was launched as the Anthony Radcliffe. In 1908 she was sold to Douglas Hill Steamship Company and renamed the Bonvilston. She was later torpedoed on the 17th of October 1918 by the submarine U92.
A claim was made by the Commonwealth for damages and was heard by a Mr. Justice Bailhache's who found in favour of the Commonwealth by judging it to be a marine peril. This was appealed and in the appeal Court the Master of the Rolls delivered a judgment which held that the Bonvilston which collided with the Commonwealth liner Geelong in January1916, was engaged in a warlike operation in connection with the evacuation of Gallipoli. Therefore, the sinking was owing to a war risk, not a marine risk. Justices Warrington and Scrutton concurred in the judgment. The appeal against Mr. Justice Bailhache's decision was dimissed.
